The Welsh Government had initially promised the families they would be resettled within weeks. Instead, they have been stranded, in some cases, for more than four months. Eating the same sandwich dinners, worrying about how their children will attend college, and without any short-term prospects for advancement, their hopes are fading. “It’s like we’ve been thrown into the desert,” said Ibrahim Dali, a 25-year-old dentist originally from Lebanon but who studied, married and settled in Ukraine before fleeing the Russian invasion. Five months after the government in Westminster devised the Homes for Ukraine scheme in response to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since the second world war, trouble is looming for many who have arrived in Britain via this route. There is also a crisis for cash-strapped councils responsible for their welfare. The program, which has been beset by bureaucratic entanglements at the outset but has proven successful in many cases, allows shelter for Ukrainian refugees provided they have a sponsor willing to host them for at least six months. As of this week, 127,300 visas have been issued this way, while a further 49,700 have been granted via a different route for those with family members resident in the UK. Ibrahim Dally: ‘It’s like we’ve been thrown into the desert’ © Gareth Iwan Jones/FT But with no end in sight to the war, problems are emerging across the board. About a quarter of volunteer hosts have said they will not extend their welcome beyond the initial six months they had agreed, according to a survey published by the Office for National Statistics last week. Less than a quarter would make it past the time. This raises the prospect that tens of thousands of Ukrainians will turn to local authorities for housing in the coming months. “Councils, sponsors and Ukrainian visitors all need to know what the options are at the end of the six-month initial placement period so they can start planning now,” said James Jamieson, president of the Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils across England and Wales. “There is a significant risk. . . many families may have to come forward as homeless due to a lack of sponsors or other options,” he added. In a bid to prevent that outcome, Refugee Secretary Lord Richard Harrington said this week he was in talks with the Treasury to double the monthly payments paid to hosts from £350 to £700 — for those who agree to extend their welcome beyond six months. The opposition Labor Party has stressed the need to reduce the burden on donors. Lisa Nandy MP, shadow secretary, said on Tuesday: “If the government does not act now, huge numbers of Ukrainian refugees will be at risk of homelessness this winter.” About 4,000-5,000 Ukrainians arrive in the UK each week, Harrington told the Financial Times, who said he was working with non-profit groups to find new hosts, as well as those who had expressed an interest in becoming sponsors. Meanwhile, a separate crisis is brewing in Scotland and Wales, where devolved governments have opted to welcome Ukrainians en masse rather than wait for individual hosts to come forward before granting visas. In both nations, local authorities have been overwhelmed and many Ukrainians, like Afghans and Syrians who have come to the UK before them, have been stuck in what was intended to be temporary accommodation. Hundreds, for example, are on a cruise ship moored in the port of Leith, north of Edinburgh. The Ukrainians at the Wales hotel are a diverse group that includes teachers, coders, lawyers and accountants. But despite their qualifications, the job center has encouraged many to work at a Tesco supermarket. Daly has found a job manning a cash register at a motorway pit-stop, but is disappointed that he could not take a better offer in Cardiff. The Welsh Government has refused to provide the help needed to relocate. An official, who requested anonymity, said local authorities were doing their best to provide opportunities, advice and care to refugees where they are. “The challenge we have is that everyone wants to be in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea,” they said. Maiia Krynytska and son Maik. He is renting out a church-owned property with the help of the council © Gareth Iwan Jones/FT A handful of families have escaped from the hotel, including Maiia Krynytska and her son Maik, who fled the town of Sumy, north of Kiev, at the start of the war. He has rented a church property with the help of the council. But most of the hotel residents were told last week that they would get no further government help to find accommodation and would have to find rental properties themselves, which is difficult without a UK credit history. Relations with hotel staff have become strained, with several of the refugees reporting abusive behaviour, including one staff member filming the children scavenging a small number of bananas offered at breakfast. When the FT visited the hotel, management declined to comment. There are a total of 5,087 sponsored Ukrainians in Wales, of which 2,472 are looked after directly by the Welsh Government, according to official figures. The Welsh Government said it was “committed to providing the people of Ukraine with a haven where they feel safe, welcome and their privacy is protected”. It added that it was “working closely with the center and local authorities to investigate” concerns raised about the hotel. Olga Ladyhenska: ‘Everyone is stressed’ © Gareth Iwan Jones/FT Many of the Ukrainians at the hotel paid tribute to the generosity of the local community. Their biggest concern was school. Elsewhere, Ukraine’s children pursue their education. The team at the hotel said they had only been told vague plans. “Every few weeks we get a new message,” said Olga, a mother from Dnipro who worked night shifts at Tesco. “Everybody’s stressed,” he said.
